Friday's high school roundup and state scores through Saturday: Dinwiddie blanks Lake Taylor, earns right to face Heritage

The Generals, from south of Petersburg, earned that privilege with a 28-0 home victory over Lake Taylor in a Group 4A South semifinal Friday night.

Dinwiddie will play host to Heritage on Saturday, Dec. 7, likely at 2 p.m., for the South championship and a berth in a state final.

The Dinwiddie team 13 years ago was considered a notch below several elite teams in the Richmond area but managed to get to the state Division 5 final, which Heritage easily won for its only state football championship.

But these Generals are considered among the state's best in any division. They certainly proved that to Lake Taylor's Titans, the 2012 Division 5 state champs in the last year of the old VHSL system.

Quarterback Ronald Kearney galloped 71 yards for a score on the first play from scrimmage for the Generals.

Kearney's touchdown -- and the three scores after it -- signaled a rider and horse to trot behind Dinwiddie's bench in celebration, rousing the packed grandstand.

Dinwiddie (13-0) achieved its third straight postseason shutout, finished with 269 yards and forced six turnovers. The Generals outgained the Titans 319 yards to 134.

6A South:

Thanks to three touchdowns by Daniel Ezeagwu, Colonial Forge, from the Fredericksburg area, built a 20-point lead and held off Ocean Lakes 23-20 at Kellam's new stadium.

Ezeagwu ran for 32- and 38-yard scores in the first half, then took the second-half kickoff 96 yards into the end zone.

The Eagles (10-3) will face the winner of Saturday's 2 p.m. semifinal at Oscar Smith between the Tigers and Forest Park in next weekend's regional championship game.

After going 2-for-13 for 14 yards and an interception in the first half, Dolphins quarterback Churchie Harold bounced back to finish with 204 yards on 10-of-28 passing.

With 1:58 to go, Ocean Lakes cut the lead to three on Jaason Lewis' 3-yard run, then got the ball back on its own 30 with 1:28 remaining.

The Dolphins had a first down at the Colonial Forge 34 with 11.9 seconds to go, but Harold's pass to the end zone was picked off by Xavier Council with no time on the clock.

5A South:

Salem beat Green Run 27-7 to earn a trip to L.C. Bird for the Group 5A South final.

Sophomore Malik Butts finished with 223 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries for Salem (11-2).

The SunDevils controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball to beat their Virginia Beach brethren. The Stallions finished 9-4.

1A East:

Altavista took a whopping first-half lead and cruised past Franklin 57-14 near Lynchburg to reach the Group 1A East final.

Latrell Lane scored both of the Broncos’ touchdowns against the Colonels’ second-string defense in the third quarter.

It was a big reversal from a playoff last year in which the Broncos beat the Colonels 41-11 in Franklin.

“You get beat last year and they’re doing a lot of talking before the game, too," Altavista coach Mike Scharnus told newsadvance.com of Lynchburg. "They did a lot of talking last year. The whole coaching staff wanted this one pretty bad."

Altavista held the Broncos to 56 yards of offense in the opening 24 minutes, while racking up 307 yards and scoring six touchdowns for a 44-0 cushion.

“We came out playing kind of physical,” Juan Thornhill, an Altavista junior who has given a verbal commitment to U.Va., told newsadvance.com. “I think we made them physically weak by hitting them hard and playing disciplined.”

Thornhill rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 79 yards and a score. Destin Brown rushed for two second-quarter touchdowns and returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter for a 51-0 lead.